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NEPHI — The Utah County Sheriff's Office recently debuted its new Drug Interdiction Team.
And within the first 40 minutes of its first shift, deputies seized more than 15,000 fentanyl pills.
On Saturday, the new Drug Interdiction Team pulled over a vehicle on I-15 south of Nephi for speeding. Approximately 3 1/2 pounds of fentanyl pills — or more than 15,000 with an estimated street value of $100,000 — were discovered wrapped in foil inside a grocery bag, the sheriff's office said.
Yolanda Marcie Leon, 42, was arrested for investigation of drug possession with intent to distribute.
"While Yolanda was in the back of my patrol vehicle, Yolanda attempted to hide drug paraphernalia and more fentanyl pills in the back of my patrol vehicle," according to a police booking affidavit. "While being processed at the Juab County Jail, a small bag of methamphetamine fell out of Yolanda's shirt."
She was then booked for investigation of additional drug-related charges.
The sheriff's office says federal funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has allowed them to form this new team, which consists of patrol deputies who are participating in addition to performing their regular duties.
The team is different than the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force which does a lot of undercover work and relies on informants, according to the sheriff's office. The new Drug Interdiction Team will mainly look for people transporting drugs on the freeways.
The sheriff's office says it has the cooperation of other agencies, such as the Utah Highway Patrol and Juab County, allowing deputies to perform their law enforcement duties outside of their own jurisdiction.
